Strong Fathers Program Funded by the Federal Violence Prevention and - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Strong Fathers Program Funded by the Federal Violence Prevention and Services Act, the North Carolina Department of Administration’s Council for Women, and Family Services, Inc. of Winston-Salem

Program History — 2004 - Child and Family Services review — 2008 - Request for proposals and curriculum development — 2009 – 2014 – Pilot testing and evaluation — 2015 – Present - “There’s someone to confide in, someone to challenge you and to Refinement of encourage you, and I think that this curriculum and program is so necessary for fathers…. replication There are so many fathers that I know that would benefit from this program. --Michael, Strong Fathers graduate

A Strengths-Based Approach The Strong Fathers Program is rooted in the belief that all dads want to be good fathers and that their motivation should be recognized, rewarded, and reinforced without minimizing the effects of “If you’re uninformed, you ain’t gonna’ be that good at it.” their violence or excusing their actions. --John, Strong Fathers graduate

Program Format — Referral and intake — Twenty weekly sessions — Closed group — Dinner provided — Manualized curriculum — Experienced facilitators — Process and outcome “…seeing them acknowledge that there are different ways of thinking, and that evaluations their way is not always right, and that — Knowledge and practice there are better ways to parent and interact with their children…” sessions -- Toina Coley, Child Welfare Social Worker, Durham County DSS

Curriculum Content — Intergenerational Transmission of Violence — Child Development 101 — Dealing with Thoughts and Feelings — Impact of Violence on Child Development and Parenting — Non-coercive Parenting Skills — Co-parenting — Repairing Relationships

Example Exercise: Children’s Drawings “How I See My Father” — “…on one of those pictures, there was a dad with the face of a devil, and it made me think, ‘How would my kids see me?’ And it made me understand no matter what I do, I need to make sure that I’m cognizant of the behavior I’m practicing around my family…” -- Bobby, Strong Fathers graduate http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/breaking-the-cycle-tools/

Evaluation Findings — Dr. Joan Pennell, NC State University Center for Family and Community Engagement — Data sample included the children of 177 men enrolled in Winston-Salem and Durham programs — Statistically significant reductions in ¡ Number of families with investigated child protection reporting ¡ Median level of highest family risk assessed during investigations ¡ Number of families with child protection findings (substantiations, services needed) ¡ Number of families with household domestic violence as a contributory to child maltreatment Pennell, J. (2015) Child Maltreatment and Domestic Violence: Before and After Enrollment in Strong Fathers. Retrieved from Center for Family and Community Engagement Website: http://cfface.chass.ncsu.edu/documents/ Strong_Fathers_Evaluation_Report_2015.pdf

Collaboration — Successes — Growth Area ¡ DSS social workers and ¡ Greater access to local other referrers data to demonstrate effectiveness ¡ Community organizations

More Information — Please visit strongfathersprogram.org